


Checkmate

by VerityGrahams



Series: Ballycastle Bats - QLFC - Season 6 - Chaser 3 [12]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus vs Severus, Albus' Will, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chess, Gen, The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, planning, playing chess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 13:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16388753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerityGrahams/pseuds/VerityGrahams
Summary: "I would like you to help me put together my Will, Severus." He replied in a steady tone. His bright eyes looked through his half-moon spectacles, scanning the board...."Do you want me to notarise it too? Fancy that, the murderer helping with the will, and getting nothing out of it." He said, his dry humour coming through.





	Checkmate

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I do not own Harry Potter
> 
> Team: Ballycastle Bats
> 
> Position: Verity Grahams standing in for Chaser 2
> 
> Prompt: Write about a characters Will
> 
> Wordcount: 1403

Checkmate

The circular wood panelled office they sat in was stunning. It was a large room filled with many curiosities. There were many tables, and all held exotic instruments of silver; they made tinkling noises and some emitted little puffs of smoke. Around the room were various famous magical artefacts; The Sword of Gryffindor and The Sorting Hat to name just two. Then there were the portraits, the room was full of them; Headmasters and Headmistresses that had watched over Hogwarts in their own time. Usually, they would only be seen snoozing, but today they avidly watched the two men sat at the large oak desk.

One of the men, of course, was Albus Dumbledore. He wore the most exuberant plum robes, and the trim was decorated with a rather ostentatious silver motif. The reams of fabric made the waif man look fuller, though the steepled hands before him showed how withered the man truly was. His right hand was black and seemed to be wasting away. Albus' eyes, however, were still alight as he sat on one side of his desk, a chessboard between him and the other wizard.

The other wizard was, of course, Severus Snape. He was a tall man, and he was almost exactly the opposite of Albus: young and dressed all in black. His sallow face was framed by his lacklustre, dank, greasy, black hair. Where Albus seemed to take pride in his appearance, this man didn't seem to have considered even looking at his reflection. And where Albus' demeanour was bright and there was a fire in his eyes, the younger man looked careworn, heavy laden - it was as though he carried the weight of the world. The only similarity was the prominence of their noses.

Albus reached forward with his blackened hand, pushing his rook forward two spaces. To anyone else, the move might seem pointless, but Severus was not anyone else, and he surveyed the board intently and leaned back in his chair.

"Why did you call me here?" Severus asked quietly. "It's never simply for a game of chess, is it?"

Severus pursed his lips before there was maybe the slightest flicker of a smirk. He looked up at his mentor, his boss and the man he had sworn allegiance to, as he pushed a pawn into a seemingly useless spot.

"I would like you to help me put together my Will, Severus." He replied in a steady tone. His bright eyes looked through his half-moon spectacles, scanning the board.

Severus' controlled expression suddenly changed to one of contempt. His body stiffened where he sat, and his arms immediately crossed, closing himself off from the man before him.

"So you haven't got the ridiculous notion out of your head then?"

"You know it's the only way," Albus replied. "Besides, you told me you made the unbreakable vow with Narcissa; it would seem like a done deal to me."

Albus spoke as if the request were something inane, unimportant, inconsequential. He didn't look at Severus, the man that he had asked to murder him. He seemed not to consider the consequences for his spy. After all, Albus was the only one that genuinely knew Snape's loyalties, and in ending his life, when this war was over, Snape would get a one-way ticket to Azkaban.

"I would gladly break this vow, Albus. If you can find another way," Severus' voice was low and controlled. Only Albus understood the hidden depths, the intensity that Severus felt.

"I know Severus, but there is no other way."

"Do you want me to notarise it too? Fancy that, the murderer helping with the will, and getting nothing out of it." He said, his dry humour coming through.

"There are a number of items that need to be secured, and if the Minister refuses to hand them over, there are a few items you shall have to deliver personally," Albus replied.

"I presume to your little army?" Severus sneered.

"Harry, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley," Albus continued. "I need Harry to receive the snitch he caught in his first Quidditch game."

Albus then moved his bishop a few spaces, removing Severus' kingside rook from the board. Severus didn't hide the sneer as he examined the bored more carefully.

"It's deathly important to feed Potter's ego?"

"I don't think he has much of an ego," Albus responded his tone still as gentle as ever.

"I wonder if we are talking about the same student," Severus scoffed.

"I wonder that too, Severus," Albus looked up at Severus and smiled serenely. "Miss Granger must receive my personal copy of; 'The Tales of Beedle of the Bard,' -"

"-And what possible significance could that have? Are you planning on using the mystical power of fairy tales to beat The Dark Lord?" Severus mocked openly, as he aggressively moved his Knight, taking the offending Bishop of the board.

"It is imperative that they receive these objects, I ask you not to question me, Severus."

"Of course, I am not trusted with the details."

"You know I trust you with my life, Severus."

"You trust me to take it, you mean," he spat. Severus' eyes were focused on the man in front of him, watching his every move. Albus' hand would hover over one piece and then as his mind changed, move to hover over another. "You really should move, we have been playing this game for weeks, it's about time you lost. Otherwise, I will hand you the game out of sheer boredom."

"You are an honourable man, Severus."

Severus scoffed again.

"You may not have started out that way, but you are now. Were you not in such a precarious position, you are someone I would share most of my plans with." Albus replied. It seemed like it was supposed to be a compliment, though maybe Severus felt it was lacking.

"Most? Wow, you know how to make someone feel their worth."

"It does show your worth, Severus. The very highest. I have told you before; I do not like all my eggs in one basket."

"Indeed, Headmaster," Severus responded. "And what about the Weasley brat? I wonder if he will be leaving him a dose your good sense? It's most certainly needed."

"No, Mr Weasley will receive my Deluminator."

"Your what?" he asked, one eyebrow raised quizzically. There was no other outward sign of his confusion; he was the epitome of control.

"It is a device of my own making, and I fear that Ronald Weasley will need it," Albus smiled sadly.

"Okay, I shall pretend this makes sense; do you wish for me to write this up?"

"There is more, this one I know they will not allow to be handed over. But it must be in the Will, Severus," Albus demanded. "It is the Sword of Gryffindor - it must go to Harry."

"Well, it seems like the first useful thing to bequeath the boy, though it is not yours to give," Severus reminded the man.

"Indeed, but you should put it in the Will anyway, and when you take over my place, ensure that the Sword of Gryffindor is hidden."

"Do we have a replica? I believe we will need one."

"I have already found someone who will be replicating it, it must be as close to perfect as we can manage I believe Tom will want the Sword of Gryffindor for his own."

Severus nodded, watching as the Albus moved his rook to one side, seemingly blocking an attack from Severus.

"How will I get the items to Potter - he will not trust me," Severus explained.

"You are cunning, Severus. Use that," Albus smiled.

Severus moved his pawn through Albus' defences, reaching the opposite end of the board.

"King me," Severus smiled for the first time. It wasn't a friendly smile - it was a competitive smile. The smile said that he was going to win.

"When did you do that?" Albus asked, bemused. This was an expression that was so rarely seen gracing the aged wizard's features.

"While you 'umm'd' and 'ahh'd' about your real life chess pieces I have been using all my strategic prowess to beat you. Now. King me,"

They continued playing as Severus and Albus hammered out the details of his last Will and Testament. It was drafted and completed long before Severus finally managed to restrain his exultation and finally say the words he truly enjoyed saying to Albus:

"Checkmate."

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading - comment and kudos please!
> 
> I really had worked hard on understanding grammar rules for myself by this point, and chose not to rely on beta's. While I did have people beta for me, I think my extra work on technicalitys really helped me here as I got 10/10. As it was me standing in for another player there was no choice of using optional prompts.


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